Adelaide Uccello
Background Originally hailing from the city of Windgate, Adelaide was born to a prosperous local merchant, Achille Abate, and the laundress who washed his clothes, Daniela Fiore (a self-described by-blow). Her father was perfectly happy to leave her in her mother's care in the slum districts until the age of nine, when he decided she might be of some worth to him after all, and brought her into his household. She was married at the age of nineteen to one of her father's business partners in a mutually advantageous money match, which she was hopeful for at the time. She is not married anymore, though she is completely sure her former husband still lives. After leaving her home city, she now uses the results of her father's expensive education to make her own living as a roving merchant and entertainer. As a scruffy townie in the city slums, she loved to watch the local bards perform, and would pester them to teach her their ways until one would relent and throw her a free drunken lesson. As a teenager in her father's house, she received fine tutors in music, so as to appear refined and accomplished, as well as provide free entertainment for her father's guests. She genuinely loves bardcraft, though it also pays her bills. Current Events * Fell in with a caravan of fellow travelers on the road and entered Barovia with them purely by mistake, which she will announce loudly to everyone in the near vicinity at all possible times * Met Strahd von Zarovich, who reminds her very much of the men she lived with in her younger days, though with considerably more money, magic, and of course fangs * Asked Madame Eva how she could escape this godawful country for her reading * At the party at Castle Ravenloft, was asked by Strahd for her aid in helping him seducing Ireena Kolyana, in exchange for her freedom and her freedom alone. She informed Ireena and the others of this afterward. Regardless, this went straight to hell, please refer to Strahd's entry below * In Vallaki, was catfished by Rudolph van Richten, who she has developed a rather inexplicable attachment to. In her defense, * During the interim post-Purge and coup, has been assisting new Burgomaster Hans with minor administrative matters, as well as enjoying... some rather spicy hallucinogen-induced dreams * Helped Hans get elected Burgomaster of Vallaki, then Hans turned out to be Strahd, so like. That's fine * Also argued for Hans's life in Krezk, then he turned out to be Strahd, so like * Bought plot at the Winery in exchange for shiny spoons Relationships * The Party: After all their laughs, tears, shenanigans, and mortal peril together, Adelaide has grown rather fond of her fellow adventurers, and would prefer to see them all make it out of Barovia alive. The constant aforementioned peril means she does not have to stop and consider her fears of intimacy and interpersonal reliance, since the alternative is to get eaten by various fantasy horrors. * Ireena Kolyana: Sees a bit of her younger self and circumstances in Ireena, and thus would prefer to see her remain free to do as she likes. * Rudolph van Richten: Despite being catfished by Dr. Richten in Vallaki (the feeling was mutual), she has grown inexplicably fond of him (or perhaps quite explicably, as he stayed to help the party at her entreaty and gave her a cool sword), and drunkenly confessed during an evil witch fight that any overture he made to her would most likely be accepted. They have both avoided the subject since. Ezmeralda's faces during their interactions are priceless. * Hans Dimmotravich: Quite liked Hans, as she thought he was one of the few decent people in a position of authority she'd had the pleasure of meeting. See entry below. She is now furious and thinks she ought to have known better. * Strahd von Zarovich: Strahd "employed" Adelaide, against her own will by the force of his vampire charm ability, to help him become close to Ireena in his disguise as Hans, by using her as a spy and mining her advice on charm and courtship. During this little charade, he found himself becoming fond of his courtship coach. He now fancies himself in love with her and has offered her a standing position in his harem of hot vampire consorts, with the alternative of, quote, "a crypt where you will never again see the light of day." Charming. He clearly learned precisely nothing from her tutelage. She has some notes.